Your Opinion on Tuition & Attendance / Training

[Tiger1962]

I wasn't sure which forum this was appropriate for, so forgive me if I posted it in the wrong category / location.

Situation:

There are no contracts established in the school payment method. You pay by month or you can pay for the entire year in advance. The student (an adult) has a crazy job with unexpected & unforeseen periods of overtime so, they might show up to train every day for one month and then suddenly are unable to train for (let's say) 3 weeks, one month, etc., or whatever. This student pays tuition every month regardless if he trains every day or doesn't train for a month or months on end.

My questions are:

1) Would you as an instructor still expect your students to pay every single month's tuition even if they didn't train consistently?

and likewise...

2) Would you as a student continue to pay a monthly tuition if you weren't training consistently?

3) What are your opinions from both sides of the coin ( from the instructor and from / as the student ? )

[ninjanurse]

This is a tricky subject. On one hand contracts make for consistent payment and clear expectations, on the other hand they are impersonal and make the whole thing seem "commercial" and distant. Month-to-month arrangements are more personal, yet lend themselves to inconsistent payment and attendance and you can spend a lot of time managing $$-clear expectations should be outlined at the onset to avoid mis-understandings.

IMO-I prefer to cultivate personal relationships with my students and families which include discussions about what is going on in their lives and how we can best take care of them and their needs.

To answer your questions: Yes, I expect them to pay whether they come to class or not; and yes, I would continue to pay when not attending if that is the expectation.

[bushido_man96]

I don't know for sure. If they were paying monthly, and had a schedule like that, I would probably work with them. However, I would want to stress consistent class participation for best results. However, I too have a life, and realize that this isn't always possible. In the end, we should do the MAs because we want to, and love it; not because an instructor tells us we should have to.

At the same time, if you have inconsistent class attendance, then you can't expect to be invited to every test.

[DWx]

As a student I personally have an arrangement that works quite well for me and may work in this situation. I know that 9/10 I will be able to do at least 2 hours a week so I pay monthly via S/O for those 2 sessions. However I often can make it to 4 if not 5 hours a week so my instructor lets me pay cash in hand for those lessons (even though I'm not really supposed to). My instructor is also very good in that if I miss one of those 2 sessions I can make it up with a different session.

I think if an instructor is relying on the tuition fees as an additional source of income or if they have expenditures every month (like room rental) then sometimes you have no choice but to expect students to pay a months tuition even if they aren't training. Also I know that for us there are certain sessions which are very popular but because of safety there has to be a limit on how many students are in that class at one time. Your payment acts as a deposit to secure your place in that class and its up to you whether you go or not.

Personally I don't mind paying out for lessons even if I miss some. However if it came to be a situation where I was missing lots regular I would try to find some other way of payment such as a pay-per-session type of arrangement.

[pittbullJudoka]

I know at our school and a few others we pay by the class. We allow people to pay by the month and if they miss they are credited for that missed class. The way we keep up with this is making that student sign in and date it upon arrival that way there is no doubt about when the were there.

It works out pretty good and some people even comment on it they they at others schools felt like they were getting ripped off because of only getting to make it in a couple times a month and still had to pay the same as someone training 3 times a week.

[Tiger1962]

This person's particular type of job is by no means traditional. He doesn't know until the last minute when he works overtime. Most of the time, the work is seasonal but with business the way it is, you never know. He can go 6 months without training or 2 months and then during a slow period, he could be there every day.

I like the idea of payment-per-session or discussing an advance arrangement for the times he is not in class & I will suggest this to him.

Thanks!

[jaedeshi]

I wasn't sure which forum this was appropriate for, so forgive me if I posted it in the wrong category / location.

Situation:

There are no contracts established in the school payment method. You pay by month or you can pay for the entire year in advance. The student (an adult) has a crazy job with unexpected & unforeseen periods of overtime so, they might show up to train every day for one month and then suddenly are unable to train for (let's say) 3 weeks, one month, etc., or whatever. This student pays tuition every month regardless if he trains every day or doesn't train for a month or months on end.

My questions are:

1) Would you as an instructor still expect your students to pay every single month's tuition even if they didn't train consistently?

and likewise...

2) Would you as a student continue to pay a monthly tuition if you weren't training consistently?

3) What are your opinions from both sides of the coin ( from the instructor and from / as the student ? )

1) As an instructor I would not expect a student to monthly tuition if they were not training consistently. I would offer that student a pay as you go program.

2) I would not as a student pay monthly tuition if I could not train consistently.

3) If one has a job or other obligation that can interrupt consistant training then do not offer them a monthly due paying program. They will most likely not join your school. Offering a pay as you go program will only get you more students with difficult obligations.

As a student I think its wrong for schools to lock you down with a contract and try make you pay even if you can't make to class.

Gyms use contracts but they open 3 times (or more if they 24hours) the amount a MA school is. Also you can goto a gym at anytime it is open. MA schools usually only allow you to attend the class you slotted for. This factor greatly diminishes ones ability to use their membership.

[Tiger1962]

Thank you for your response Jaedeshi ---- after thinking about this - I agree with you

[ironsifu]

when you go to college, you pay by the semester, even if you endup paying by the month, you owe for the semester. it doesnt make sense month to month because the semester doesnt do any good if you dont finish. martial arts school is the same way. if you do this one month (or one week) and quit, you just wasted your time, mostly.

that's like going to mcdonalds, and saying, give me one french fry i'm not that hungry, or three bites from a cheeseburger.

in my school i charge by the month for the beginner class, so even if you dont come every class, the fee is for the month not by the class. after beginner level one, you can only sign up 6 months at a time. i tell the students, if they are not willing to dedicate at least 6 months to the training, we are not the right school for them. now they dont have to pay 6 months at one time, but they are signing up for 6 months and will commit to training for 6 months.

its better than that way, and if a guy goes, i might not want to do this in two months, they should find a school less serious.

[bushido_man96]

Our school has a setup like that, with the minimum 6 months. I think that it can be a turnoff for some people. I don't have a problem with offering them month to month when they are just starting. When people are unsure, I'd rather let them make the choice, so that they don't feel pressured. If they feel pressured, then they may not try it.